


next to you

by darkmagicians



Category: Half Life, Half-Life
Genre: F/M, Fluff, alyx vance appreciation station, do not ask me about the timing on this i do not know, early but confirmed relationship times????, kisses but softly shyly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25886548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkmagicians/pseuds/darkmagicians
Summary: “Where’d you learn how to do that?” Gordon signed, pointing at her project. Alyx glanced down at the more-or-less orderly piles arrayed around her and he considered that she may have been working on more than one thing. “Robotics.” He spelled out, and she lit up.-or, i thought about how smart alyx vance is and then couldn't stop thinking about it and you and gordon freeman should think about it too
Relationships: Gordon Freeman/Alyx Vance
Comments: 12
Kudos: 61





	next to you

Gordon stretched as he set down what he was working on, removing his glasses to rub at his eyes before leaning back. Alyx sat cross legged in her chair on the other side of the room, scraps of metal, wires and other parts arrayed around her, an abandoned soldering iron cooling just within reach. She was working on something for D0G – at least, when he had last checked – something about fine tuning pressure sensors in what served as his hands. The setting sun slanted through the windows, setting her and her workspace aglow. He lost a few moments considering how pretty her eyes were when they caught the sunlight but turned away quickly once he realized he was just zoning out staring at her. The abrupt motion caught Alyx’s attention and she glanced up, smiling reflexively at him.

“What’s up? Bored with Kleiner’s notes? Bet catching up on twenty years of homework is uh… a chore.” She said. It was, but he protested halfheartedly anyway, hand fluttering in a “so-so” motion. She leaned forward, placing her chin in a hand and waiting to see if he’d continue, seemingly just as content to gaze at him as he’d been at her a moment ago. He glanced down at her spread of materials, grasping for something to discuss that didn’t make him sound brainless. It occurred to him to put words to something he had wondered about but put away for later at some point during their mad dash through and out of City 17 when he’d first reappeared.

_“_ Where’d you learn how to do that?” He signed, pointing at her project. She glanced down and he considered that she may have been working on more than one thing. “Robotics.” He spelled out, and she lit up.

“Oh! Well years ago, there was this one lady from Black Mesa who was with us for a bit. Ah, I don’t remember her name anymore… Dad would know.” Alyx looked down a bit sadly. “Anyway, she helped Dad with the first prototype for D0G – as I’m sure you know, not really his field. More importantly, she helped me put him back together when I got a little too zealous in wanting to see how he worked.” Alyx paused, mouth quirking up. “That was… kind of a reoccurring theme for me growing up. I was already teaching myself different coding languages, but she taught me how to apply that beyond just computers. She got… relocated when I was 13, so I taught myself beyond that just by working on D0G. You know, he used to only be about twice the size of a headcrab?”

_“_ Wow _,_ ” Gordon mouthed, and she gave a little laugh. And then he thought about it for a second, because physical abilities aside, D0G seemed to be – he hesitated to say sentient, although that one company had been publishing papers saying they were close to that 20 years ago, he guessed, so who knew – seemed to be at least independently intelligent and able to respond to human emotions. Such a thing had been unthinkable twenty – before he’d gotten here.

_“_ You taught yourself all that? Because D0G’s incredible – you’re incredible.” He continued, and Alyx looked thoughtful as she ran a hand through her hair.

“I mean… I guess. Raised by some of Black Mesa’s best and brightest, you pick up some stuff, you know?” Gordon shook his head, considering further.

_“_ Robotics, plus hacking, computer science, _alien_ computer science, computer engineering – and did you make your multi-tool?” He mimed the motion she made when waving it to hack Combine terminals. _“_ Plus, I know you helped with the Resistance’s teleport technology, and…” He realized something else. _“_ And who made the Mark V?”

“Oh, the lady who helped with D0G was actually from that team at Black Mesa, I think.” Alyx said, which hm, did narrow down her identity a little bit for Gordon. But still, she had just said that scientist hadn’t been around in ten years. “Kleiner knows the systems, and Dad knows materials, but I did end up doing a lot of work on the version that made it to you.”

_“_ Alyx,” he started slowly, “that’s insane.” He didn’t even want to think about how much schooling it would’ve – should’ve? - taken to become proficient in half of that, and she’d learned it all by her twenties. Alyx broke eye contact with an embarrassed smile. “Seriously. That’s super genius levels.”

“Gordon… really.” She said, blushing in earnest now, ducking her head and tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

“And not only understanding it all but doing it all. Super genius, insanely talented,” He continued, moving past shock at how insanely talented Alyx was and forward with single minded determination that she understand how wonderful she was. Alyx for her part, had gotten up and was making short work of the five or so steps between their workspaces. “Great shot, no one I’d rather having watch my back, and –“ Alyx stopped a breath away from him, gently catching his hands in her own, firmly stopping him temporarily by entwining their fingers.

“Okay, that’s enough of that.” Despite her intense blush she was smiling widely. “I’ve just picked up what needs to be done.” Gordon shook his head, insistent.

“You’re amazing.” He said softly, out loud, still something of a rarity but desperate times, desperate measures. Alyx looked at him warmly. Backlit by the remaining sunlight still making it into their room, her calloused hands soft in his, he hesitated only for a moment before pressing on. “And… beautiful.”

Alyx laughed, then looked at him a little shyly as he continued to gaze up at her. She slipped one hand free of his to cup the side of his face, brushing her thumb under the frames of his glasses and across his cheekbone as his breath hitched.

“In that case, I guess there’s only one way left to shut you up.” She said as she leaned in. He felt as much as heard the last part of her statement breathed across his lips. He stayed absolutely still as his eyes flit between hers and her mouth, sure he was even redder than she had been a few moments ago. She hesitated just long enough that he started to try and formulate a response before she firmly pressed in for a kiss. She was smiling against his lips, which didn’t make for a terribly deep kiss, but it was warm and sweet, and he returned it wholeheartedly. She pulled back after several seconds, when she felt like her point had been made, but not very far.

“Shh. Shh, shh, shh.” She said, all faux-insistent and using shorter kisses to punctuate, gently bearing down on him. He was chuckling when she finally retreated any real distance, tilting his head back to look up at her adoringly. She arched an eyebrow – _Well? -_ and he hummed thoughtfully.

“Fine.” He looped his arms around her neck, pulling her back down until their foreheads gently bumped together. “I suppose I’ll just have to remind you _sparingly_.”

(And he would, in words signed across labs, on sticky notes left on projects, in words breathed across spaces and traced across skin.)

**Author's Note:**

> hi i love alyx she's so smart wtf. also just wanted to contribute a little freemance fluff. i promise literally nothing but if you have any prompts you should drop 'em. 
> 
> thanks for reading!


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